Feyenoord remains an undefeated leader in Eredivisie due to a small victory at FC Groningen

For this season Ueda was no certainty for the technical leadership of Feyenoord. The club was looking for new strikers throughout the summer, for the width, but also with a view to a possible replacement of Ueda.

Robin van Persie spoke with Sem Steijn and does not regret many points at Feyenoord

The Rotterdam club was willing to take a good time for Manfred Ugalde from Spartak Moscow and also El Bilal Touré from Atalanta (now on a rental basis active at Besiktas) was taken up. Eventually there were two new strikers with Casper Tengstedt and Cyle Larin, but the striker that has stayed, the Japanese Ueda, is in the base and is doing well.

Due to a great goal from Ueda, Feyenoord managed to break the Groningen wall just after the break. The Japanese headed technically handsome after a great pass from the Australian left back Jordan Bos. The home club sold the skin expensive, did not give away many opportunities and when the team of trainer Robin van Persie played through it, Etienne Vaessen was well kept. For example, opportunities for Leo Sauer, Ueda and Jordan Bos did not give any goal for the break, so that FC Groningen made a break with 0-0.

At Feyenoord, Sem Steijn was missing due to illness. After the away match in the Europa League against Sporting Braga, the midfielder had been bothered by his stomach and Van Persie had considered it more sensible in consultation with the medical staff to leave him outside the selection for the duel in Euroborg. Anel Ahmedhodzic was not used by a suspension, so that Malcolm Jeng retained his base place of the match against Braga as was expected.

Robin van Persie will again prepare Best Eleven at Feyenoord against FC Groningen: ‘I understand that a player sometimes does not agree with a choice’

Van Persie had changed his arrangement in seven positions against the match in Portugal. In order to get his team Fresh at the kick-off in Groningen, the Feyenoord trainer against Braga had mainly sent reserves into the field. Nevertheless, in the Euroborg the energy did not splash in the first half at Feyenoord, although the Rotterdammers did get the better chances. One of the better Rotterdammers was former FC Groningen player Luciano Valente, although this time the midfielder was unable to personally make a difference with a decisive action.

FC Groningen saw Marco interest injured in injured after two minutes and in the break Feyenoord defender Jeng came the same after he had to undergo an injury treatment just before half-time. Due to the lack of available center defenders, Van Persie sent the actual left back Gijs Smal into the field and it filled the role well, as he did before.

FC Groningen offered good weather to Feyenoord, but had difficulty in becoming dangerous in the first half. The most threatening moment was an opportunity for midfielder Tika de Jonge who did not get the ball between the posts.

After the early backlog in the second half, FC Groningen hesitated a bit and the team of coach Dick Lukkien was looking more energetically. That resulted in a little more threat towards the goal of Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther. For example, Jorg Schreuders and Thom van Bergen were close to a goal, an action in which Schreuders would be injured, which had to be changed.

Even after last week’s goal -oriented draw against AZ, Feyenoord also gave the least passed defense of the Eredvisie and, despite the lack of Ahmedhodzic and after the break his replacement Jeng Jeng did not give away much. It remained exciting because Sauer shot on the post, leaving the decisive 0-2, but the victory of Feyenoord was never in danger, simply because FC Groningen forced too little in an attacking sense. And so Feyenoord remains the proud leader of the Eredivisie with six wins and one draw from the first seven games.